The Desert is one of the most infamous wastelands of the Sword Coast, primarily known as a region where divinity does not, or cannot, exert influence. As a result, it is home to many terrible aberrations and ruins of past civilizations.
Aside from occasional nomadic tribes, the only place of civilization is Calimsharn — very recent compared to former civilizations such as the enigmatic Empire of Narthezeem (10,000 years ago) and the Empire of Khafar, a mummy lord who ruled a grand nation before its fall 5,000 years ago.
Locations and Creatures
- Lake of Glass: Rumored to be the site where the Lords of Calimsharn fought the Doom of the Desert. All that remains of their battle is an expanse of glass, presumably a consequence of the dragon’s breath. Small groups of glass elementals travel its surface, constantly shattering and reforming.
- Doom of the Desert: An ancient and powerful dragon who has ruled the wastelands for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. When the Lords fought it for dominance of the Desert, tales say it retreated wounded into the Desert’s depths.
- Crawling Disease: An enormous serpent that roams the Desert, spreading death and disease in its wake. Last seen, it was attempting to swallow Gorm.
- Great Serpent: A colossal serpent and a terror comparable to the Doom of the Desert. It only emerges from the sands every few months or years to feed, but its passage sends shockwaves across the desert.
- Rotting Mist: In an ancient battlefield between two unknown armies, a necrotic mist emerged from the corpses and feeds on their remnants. It occasionally expands to catch new prey but always returns to its origin.
- Burial Mound: Ruins of the Empire of Khafar, once a graveyard. Despite its age, the burial urns are kept in fresh condition by the mysterious entity that keeps watch over the ruin.
- Tower that found the Truth: See linked article.